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Female athletes have been ignored, despised and sexualized by the sports media in recent decades. With the development of feminism, cultural expectations and the quality of women’s lives in many countries have undergone significant changes (Bruce, 2016). Although the quality and number of coverage focusing on women sports players have increased, overall progress has been gradual (Litchfield, 2018). In this light, it is significant to discuss images of female soccer players constructed by The Age in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage.

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Critical discourse analysis (CDA) will be used in this research.

Samples:
Coverage of The Ages relating to images of female soccer players from July 20, 2023, to August 20, 2023. A total of 39 articles were selected.

How to do the research:
Fairclough’s CDA analytical framework is meaningful for solving the research question. Fairclough’s analytical framework shows the relationship between three dimensions: “text, discourse practice, and sociocultural practice” (Fairclough, 1995, p.57). Specifically, the two dimensions of text and sociocultural practice are most relevant to the research questions in this article.

Firstly, I conducted a linguistic analysis on the text. Linguistic analysis includes vocabulary and semantic analysis. Among them, discriminatory words such as appearance evaluation, career evaluation, and stereotypes were given special attention. Secondly, I summarized and organized the typical images obtained from the analysis. Afterward, a specific analysis of these images was conducted using feminist theories, such as state feminism theory, neoliberal feminism theory and the male gaze theory.

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The analysis of The Age's 2023 Women's World Cup coverage is ongoing. However, some significant findings have been made.

Inspiring Figure

Third-world women soccer players are often portrayed in this image. The coverage emphasizes that their living environment is harsh, their families are poor, and they lack sports resources, but they still achieve their football dreams through their efforts.

National Hero

Women soccer players have also been shaped into heroes of the country. In the coverage, it was emphasized that they represented the country, fought for glory, and enhanced national pride. This image is closely related to female athletes' individual achievements and contributions to the country.

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In conclusion, this study reveals some trends in the media image of women soccer players. Although progress can be seen in media coverage on gender issues compared to previous studies, there are still some stereotypes.
The media emphasis on inspirational figures and national hero images is positive and can encourage more women to participate in sports and pursue their own goals. However, this emphasis may overly idealize female athletes, ignoring their individual differences and challenges. The media should be more balanced in presenting the image of female soccer players, showcasing their diversity and complexity to eliminate gender stereotypes.
In future research, I will continue to analyze coverage to understand better how media construct images of female soccer players. This study will help shape more realistic and diverse media images, creating more opportunities and equality for women to develop in sports.

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Bruce, T. (2016). New Rules for New Times: Sportswomen and Media Representation in the Third Wave. Sex Roles, 74(7–8), 361–376. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0497-6

Litchfield, C. (2018). Female Athletes, Olympic, and Non-Olympic Online Sports Coverage in Australia: Raising the Bar or Performing below Par? International Journal of Sport & Society, 9(3), 35–51.

Fairclough, N. (1995) Media Discourse. London: Edward Arnold.